Which Way Is Up?
by Nuclotei
Summary: Deeper into a world of mystery than she realizes, Kamiya Kaoru can only hope to avoid the sword-end of the fiery-haired murderer headed her way. And with the school year already off to a bad start, can she make the grade? A/U Romance/Drama/Suspense
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this odd idea kind of came to me in a dream. Probably fueled by the fact that I had read my all time favorite Kenshin fan fiction ('Broken Pieces' by _Linay_) the day before. I hope it is original (or as original as it can get, considering the 15,000+ fan fictions that are on this site for Kenshin) and entertaining. For those of you reading Angels and Demons, have no fear I'll still be updating that as well!

P.S. This is short because it's a trial thing! If people like it, then I'll keep writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I only screw them up to entertain fans.

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Which Way Is Up?

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Chapter One

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"Let me out of here!" She screamed until her lungs burned as she beat on the lid of the silk lined box she was suffocating in. Her legs were too long, there wasn't enough room to use her feet and her knees stung every time she used them to try and break free. There wasn't any air, there wasn't any time. A week ago she was sitting in a class room, but now…

"Please! Please let me out!" Hysteria caused her voice to crack, caused her screams to be nothing more than a high pitched whisper as her throat constricted in panic.

It was dark, it was hot, and it was in that coffin that she was sure she would die in.

As the first clumps of dirt hit the top of the wooden box, she sobbed and wished that she had never met him.

~xXx~

_**One week earlier…**_

"Ms. Kamiya Kaoru. Twenty-two years of age. 5'8, blue eyes, raven black hair, a blood donor and oh look here, 143 pounds of weight on that poor frame of yours. No wonder you spend most of your mornings doing exercises." The grin on the face of the man whose spiky brown haired head was the constant cause of trouble in class was enough to raise a violent action out of Ms. Kamiya Kaoru.

"Give me that back." She seethed at him as he handed up her school ID quickly, his ears ringing with the force the smack to the back of his head had caused.

"I was just kidding, you're not really fat." He couldn't help but to egg her on. After all, it was a new school term and he needed his daily entertainment.

"Sagara Sanosuke!" Sano leapt to his feet, holding out his hands in defense as a book landed where his head would have been if he had remained seated.

Ah, it was good to be back.

"Well girly. Look at the time. I have really got to go!" He looked at his bare wrist, gave her a winning grin then leapt over a lab table, scrambling out of the door as she glared after him.

"Rooster-headed idiot." Kaoru muttered as she picked up her science book, brushing it off lovingly. "This is why forensics and wannabe cops don't mix well. Isn't it precious?" She hugged her book to her chest then quickly set it down on the smooth black surface of the lab table as other students walked in.

She sat down, and looked at her ID, staring at the picture as it stared back.

"I don't look fat, do I?" She whispered to it then sighed heavily. Even though her weight wasn't the reason she spent the early mornings working out, she considered cutting back on the daily chocolate bars as she leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. "After all, just because I'm a science nerd, it doesn't mean I need to look like a donut eating, mountain dew chugging heifer."

"Excuse me?" Kaoru looked up through her bangs at a tall and thin woman with dark eyes whose pretty, pale face was framed by black hair. A splash of bright red lipstick painted her mouth. "I do believe that talking to yourself out loud is considered a psychological disorder. I don't allow crack pots in my class, and I think that the shrink's office is up the stairs and to the left."

As laughs and giggles erupted around her Kaoru stared open mouthed at the older lady as she turned and moved to the front of the class room. Her ears and neck burned from the blush that had crawled up from her lower spine as anger swamped her.

"My name is Dr. Takani. You may call me "Dr. Takani" , "Mistress", or "Majesty". You may not call me, "Babe"," She trailed her eyes over the boys in the class. " "Whore," " She shifted and leaned back against her desk at the front of the class room and crossed her bare legs at the ankle as she looked at the girls in the class. " or "Boyfriend Stealing Bitch". If you can't keep a hold of your men, ladies, then it's not my problem when they come to a real woman for their pleasure." She smoothed down her black skirt that rested just above her knees then flipped her hair over her shoulder as the class started murmuring. "Any questions?"

Kaoru plastered a polite smile on her face as she lifted a hand in the air. Dr. Takani's eyes landed on her and clucked her tongue in a sound of annoyance.

"This isn't grade school crazy kid, this is intro to Forensic Chemistry. Speak already." She moved around the desk, pulled out her rolling chair and sat gracefully. Kaoru watched her as she lowered her hand then stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Can we call you "The Old Hag from Hell?". "

~xXx~

" You got kicked out of your first class? Kaoru, I can't believe you! I told you to just sit there and learn, you _like_ to learn you _like_ to be in school, you _like_ what you want to do for a living. So _why_ are you screwing up already?" Kaoru scowled at the commercial playing on the TV and adjusted her phone between her ear and shoulder more comfortably then pulled the ice-cream covered spoon from her mouth.

"Misao, you're like…a senior in high school and you're going to lecture me? If anything, you should be admiring my technique at getting back for that woman after she embarrassed me! I mean, a woman like that can't just go around saying whatever they want. She's a teacher, in a community college for the love of god! She's not some man stealing master of the universe, she's really no better than a stripper named candy down at the corner of 5th and Canary!" The martyred sigh on the other end of the phone had Kaoru stuffing the spoon back into her mouth, loaded anew with a glob of mint ice-cream.

"It doesn't matter what she does, she's your professor, you're the student and that is THE class you need to take to progress in your school career. And she's the only teacher that teaches it! Think about it." With a sigh Kaoru just nodded at the TV, then flipped the channel with another sigh.

"I'll apologize."

"You better." Misao's voice was cheery, friendly, and completely accepting of the cousin who had trouble keeping her temper in check. Kaoru was grateful.

"Hey, news is on, have to do the current events so I'll get back to you later." Kaoru let the phone drop, it bouncing down onto the couch cushion and closing as she set the bowl down on the coffee table, picking up a notebook and pen.

"Today's top story." She shifted and picked up the remote, turning it up as the lame intro music played and wondered why people even bothered with things like that. The news almost always started with tragedy and yet here was their music, bright and perky. News crews had no souls, she was convinced. "After a week of investigation, law officials have finally come up with a clue to bring the mass murderer of seven people to justice. Anna has the story, live. Good evening Anna."

"Good evening, I am standing outside of the Chiba Police station where local officials brought in a woman early this morning who said that she witnessed one of these horrible slayings."

"Just one woman?" Kaoru huffed as she wrote down notes. "Twenty bucks says she doesn't have anything decent to say, or that it was a sighting about 200meters away and she wasn't wearing her glasses on a dark night, down an alley with trash everywhere."

"Wanting to remain anonymous, this 72 year old local resident stated, and I quote "The screams were horrible, it was as if someone was playing one of those horror movies really loud out in the back alley. I heard this loud screeching sound, like metal on metal then there was this gargling noise. When I looked out of the window I saw a man standing over what looked like a bag of garbage to me. It was dark and I wasn't wearing my glasses but I could make out the shadow of something long in his hands, like a pipe or a crowbar or something." "

"Hah!" Kaoru pointed at the TV. "I called it!"

"She continued on to state, "I couldn't see his face really, just that it was a man, but the thing that struck me the most about him was his hair. He had long red hair, pulled back into a ponytail, it looked like a wave of fire." Now we'll take you inside and more, after this commercial break."

Kaoru stared at the TV as a Fanta commercial blared out of the side speakers before looking down at her paper.

"Red hair? I don't imagine how anyone could hide with hair 'like fire'. " She laughed to herself as she scribbled a picture of a stick figure on fire at the top of her notes. "Not like that is a normal style for a man in Japan." Shifting to fold her legs under herself she looked back at the TV as the report came back on.

Anna was now standing right inside of the police station as people walked in and out around her. More details had been released on the case itself. Kaoru made bullet points on the paper then began listing.

The murders always happened after midnight and before sunset.

No money or valuables were ever taken from the crime scene.

Only men had been killed.

The killer was using a blade, approximately 2-feet in length.

Kaoru shifted and closed her notebook then picked up her ice-cream again, taking a bite as she turned off the news.

"I guess either the criminals have gotten smarter, or the police have gotten dumber. How can a red haired man possibly be getting around in Kyoto with a two foot blade?"

~xXx~

He ran as fast as he could, fear blinding him enough that he ran into trashcans, into the corner of a fence and down a dead end alley before he noticed.

"Fuck! Jesus fucking Christ, you can't do this!" He spun around, spitting and screaming into the dark as he fumbled for his cell phone.

Sweat dripped into his eyes and he moved the sleeve of his blue suit jacket roughly over his face, dialing a number then cursed when he dropped it.

A whimper of panic escaped his quivering lips as he bent over, his sweaty palm closing over the cell phone.

A small whistling sound had him looking up. A flash of red hair trailed behind the man in a black trench coat that landed next to him. His body jerked and twitched as it was impaled, starting between the eyes and ending up at the base of his spine in one swift motion.

A street lamp at the end of the alley was the last bit of light that he'd ever see, reflected in the cold steel of the sword.

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A/N: Tell me what you think so far! Thanks for reading, and PLEASE review!

…Nuclotei


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I work at a hardware store, in a section that doesn't get very much business at night, therefore I spend most of my nights writing. As to where usually this is where I write things for the actual book I'm working on I think that I'll start using this time to update fan fiction. Busy season is coming so there won't be much time left for screwing around at work and writing after work, so I'll update as much as possible while I still can!

P.S. I so don't have this story planned out, it's just kind of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of deal. Be sure to tell me if I get off track! And please, R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I just screw them up to entertain fans.

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Which Way Is Up?

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Chapter Two

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Every morning Kamiya Kaoru had a routine.

Regardless of what time she would manage to get to sleep the night before her alarm would go off at 5am. She would smack the power button with more force than necessary to silence the nuisance, pull her hair out of its nightly braid and slide out of her warm and comfortable bed to start the day.

The workout would come first. A mile-long jog to the neighborhood indoor pool where she would swim forty laps then jog the mile back to her home where she'd spend an hour doing kata's in the dojo.

Her father's father had been the founder of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu school for sword fighting. Kaoru's grandfather had taught her father the art and when she had been born a girl, with her mother having died shortly after childbirth, it was only natural that she continued the family legacy.

She would bathe, eat a healthy breakfast then pray to the shrine of her parents before heading off to school.

On a normal Tuesday, on a normal day, that would be her routine, one that she hadn't missed in two years.

But today…

"Are you kidding me? Why is it so late already?" She burst through the house gates, barely pausing to lock them as she flung her school bag over her shoulder, placing the strap across her chest and broke into a sprint.

She'd overslept, dreaming horrible dreams about men with their hair on fire, killing people in her class per instruction of their "Majesty", a horrible woman with bright red lipstick.

Kaoru glanced down at her watch; it was nearly six-thirty and she needed to be in Dr. Takani's office by six-forty-five. It was a hopeless thirty minute walk from her house to the main campus where the professors' offices were located.

So she ran.

People up early for work, or for their own morning walks, moved out of the way and stared after her with surprised noises and complaints as she streaked past them. She yelled apologies behind her as she moved around a corner.

"Hey, stop!" A man's voice yelled after her and she paused, glancing back. "No not there!" She turned her head quickly as a horn blared out from a car speeding down the road towards her.

She braced herself, let out a shaky breath. It figures she'd be ended by a bunch of kids driving too fast down a residential road. What was the honor in that?

Kaoru closed her eyes tightly as the impact knocked the breath from her lungs, as the sound of tires screeching and people screaming filled her head. She had hoped that the impact would have at least left her unconscious so she didn't have to really know she was dying.

"That's dangerous." Warm air fanned across her forehead, stirring her bangs and she opened her eyes and met soft, concerned violet ones behind silver rimmed glasses.

She blinked once, twice, then shifted in the strong arms that held her close to his chest. When had her legs turned to jelly? Did that car really miss her?

"Are you hurt?" She looked back at the man as the gears in her brain slipped a bit as the shock slowly wore off. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" He had such a handsome face, long and defined, black bangs hung into his eyes, and his hair was pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his neck, hanging over his shoulder.

'Long hair?' She looked it over then back at his face as she struggled to process what had just happened.

"I…" He waited then shifted and stood her straight, holding onto her shoulders. Was she in shock? Hurt?

She gasped suddenly and he tightened his grip on her shoulders, afraid she was suddenly going to pass out when she lifted her arm up and looked at her watch.

Six-forty.

"Oh my god. I-I'm so sorry, and thank you and…sorry!" She broke out from his grip, adjusted her bag and turned, running away from him.

He stared after her for a moment in blank shock then looked down as a flash of color caught his eye. He shifted and leaned down, picking up a purple hair ribbon before looking after her once again.

~xXx~

"Do you _really_ expect me to allow you back into my class?" Dr. Takani inspected her nails as she sat behind her desk, legs crossed and a romance novel laying open on her thigh.

"Please, _please_, Dr. Takani. I was just having a bad day, and I absolutely need this class." Kaoru stood by the door, her hair loose and limp around her shoulders and back, with sweat beading on her brow as she struggled not to breath hard.

It had been a long run and she had been two minutes late.

"I know what you need silly girl. After all, I am a teacher." Dr. Takani flicked her eyes from her nails to the girl in the doorway then smiled slowly. Kaoru looked at her mouth, at her bright red lipstick and shuddered. "Alright, let's make a deal. If you can make an 'A' in this course then naturally I'll let you pass. If you make anything below that I'll fail you instantly." Her smile was like a sharks and Kaoru's blood shivered in its veins.

Demon woman.

"An 'A'? Okay, I'll..."

"Megumi, don't be so unreasonable. Everyone knows that no one can make an 'A' in your class. Besides, this girl looks like she might have had a hard morning." Kaoru's eyes widened a bit at the sound of his voice, widened even more as the black haired, purple eyed man walked into the office, then crossed as he draped her silk ribbon across her head, the end resting in front of her nose.

"Kenshin! You're back early!" Kaoru looked back at Dr. Takani as she uncrossed her legs and stood. She glanced at her hand as she pulled the slightly dirty ribbon off of her head; she'd been wondering where it went.

"I just got in this morning. Long trip." He offered up a soft smile to her then looked back at Kaoru. "Let her back in the class Megumi."

Dr. Takani shifted into a pout for a moment then waved her hand. "Fine fine, since we're team teaching this class, I guess I have to listen to you. But I bet money she doesn't pass."

Kaoru looked up a them quickly as if startled back into reality then bowed deeply as a blush rose high on her cheeks.

"Thank you very much." It was aimed at the man.

"I think she has a crush on you." Dr. Takani whispered not so quietly and Kaoru groaned inwardly.

It was going to be a long semester.

~xXx~

"Are you kidding me?" Sano stared at Kaoru from across the table in the cafeteria. "You ran out in the middle of the damn road?" She took a drink of her juice, swallowed and made a dismissing wave with a flick of her fingers.

"This is not the point I was trying to get across to you! I'm telling you that the guy that saved me from getting turned into a pony tailed pancake is also the same guy who's the team teacher for my Forensic Science 101 class!"

Sano took a bite of his bread, talked around it with his eyebrows furrowed. "Okay?" She huffed at him and took another drink.

"Not only did he save my life, he saved my career as well Sano!"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

Kaoru shifted then stood and swing her bag over her shoulder with enough force that it swung across the table and clocked him upside of the head, knocking him over onto the chair next to him.

"You just don't understand, I'm telling you that it must be fate! Meeting the same person twice, that saved me twice within ten minutes has to mean something." He sat up, his eyes watering as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Kaoru," His voice was serious as he looked at her. "you must be right. You two…are destined to be together." He reached his hand out towards the heavens as his eyes glittered with humor. She made an indignant noise and turned, stomping off. "Stop reading so many damn romance novels!" He yelled after her with a laugh.

~xXx~

She moved into the lab room with her nose in her daily planner.

The morning had gone by at such a slow pace she had looked at her watch eight times just to make sure it wasn't going backwards. But now it was moving too fast. Forensic science 101 was now upon her.

"Tuesday, today is Tuesday. Let's see here," She sat at her table and didn't look up as other filed into the room, some talking among themselves. Others moved in, talking and whispering about her just loud enough that she could catch her name being said but nothing else. "this is my last class of today, I have a class to teach at the dojo, then dinner with Misao at the Sky Bar." She muttered out loud to herself then set it down to write in her homework for the night.

She glanced up briefly and froze. Violet eyes stared at her from across the table over small glasses.

"Uh…hi?" The smile that appeared on his face was so sudden and so charming that it nearly made her eyes water in response.

"I'm Mr. Himura, and you are?" She blinked twice to help clear the fog from her brain.

"K-Kamiya Kaoru." He nodded with another smile that had her nearly straining her neck to look after him as he moved away from her table.

"It's nice to meet you." He said over his shoulder then crouched down in front of another table to the giggle of girls as he introduced himself once again.

Kaoru turned and looked down at her planner, pen in hand. It had to be fate, and she had to think of someway to thank him.

"Alright you perverts and hussies, now that you all have met _my_ Kenshin, I suppose we can get started with class. Did you all read Chapter One last night?" Dr. Takani smacked a yard stick down on the front table as everyone groaned and grumbled.

"I'll take your collective noises as one big fat no, and am happy to tell you to pull out a sheet of notebook paper and a pen. It's pop quiz time." Kaoru looked to the front of the class and groaned along with the rest of the class.

At least she didn't have to take that deal from Dr. Takani in the end…

~xXx~

Kaoru moved into the bar slowly waving away a cloud of smoke blown her way and made her way to a set of rotted looking stairs.

She clung to the railing as she moved up them and pushed open the door at the top with a loud squeak.

The Sky Bar sounded just like it really was. An open roof bar styled, hole in the wall, place to go. It was hardly known, having the rather frightening entrance through Midori Pub down below, and that was one of Kaoru's favorite things about it. The atmosphere, the service, and the people all had a personal feel to them. It had been a meeting place for the two cousins for two years now, since Kaoru's father had passed away. She moved to the table as Misao waved at her, and sat down what a heavy sigh. The sword fighting class had worn her down, and the kids this time had been a bunch of little monster.

"Long day?" Misao spoke around a straw that was stuck in a fruity looking, carbonated drink. Kaoru's mouth watered and with a smile Misao passed her the glass.

She took a sip, sighed again heavily and nodded. "It was an extremely long day. I think if I didn't have to teach Kamiya Kasshin-ryu to make a living, I might just teach it to my kids. If I ever have any" She added on thoughtfully.

"Your day could have been worse, you could have come face to face with Hitokiri Battousai!" At Kaoru's blank stare Misao took another sip of her drink then waved a hand. "The red-haired sword wielding mass murderer?"

"Oh, him." Kaoru shook her head. "I guess the press decided to give him a name."

"Spooky name huh?" Kaoru watched Misao then nodded.

"Anyone who goes around killing people kind of deserves a spooky name." Misao grinned then waved her hand again, dismissing that part of the conversation.

"Well I already ordered our food, so why don't you tell be about the day you've been having while we wait?"

~xXx~

As Kaoru spoke, Misao listened with wide eyes. She sat on the edge of her chair as she forked food into her mouth and made the appropriate noises at the appropriate times.

"It must be fate!" She smacked her palm down on the table excitedly and Kaoru laughed.

"What's what I said!"

"Tell me more about him, don't leave out anything!"

Kaoru laughed again as she shook her head. "Like I said, he has long black hair,"

"Oooh. A rebel." Misao's eyes glazed over slightly at the thought.

"These deep purple eyes."

"Ooh! Mysterious!"

"And he has this charming personality that just seems to affect everyone around him."

"Charismatic too. He's definitely a keeper."

"I don't really even know the man!" Kaoru protested with a laugh.

Devilish humor lit Misao's eyes. "You don't have to know the man to get down and dirty with him."

"Misao!" Kaoru's voice cracked in embarrassed protest then they stared at each other before erupting in a fit of giggles.

~xXx~

"Bye! I'll see you on Thursday!" Misao waved cheerily back at Kaoru as she stepped onto the bus, her braided hair swinging behind her. Kaoru smiled as she turned, moving down the wide walk and breathed deeply. She always felt refreshed and relaxed after having dinner with Misao.

If it hadn't of been for the perpetually cheerful high school girl, she wasn't sure she would have survived the death of her father.

Because the thinking of her father threatened to bring tears to her eyes and had her heart aching she pushed it away. There wasn't a need to remember the depressing, she glanced up at the sky, admired the moon for a moment then froze as a scream turned her heart from aching to pounding painfully in her chest.

Instincts had her moving fast, running around a corner and into an alley, then panic had her freezing once again as a man ran towards her in blind terror.

"Help me!" He screamed and Kaoru stared as blood dripped down his face, mixing with sweat and tears. His hands clamped down onto her shoulders before the shock could wear off and suddenly he was dragging her with him down the sidewalk. "You-you have to help me, please!" He won't kill me if I have someone here, someone to see!" His grip changed, a hand clamping onto her upper arm bruisingly.

Kaoru fought through her own fog of terror, cleared her throat and forced her voice to work, trying to sound concerned.

"You're bleeding, we should get you to a hospital…" She stared then winced as his grip tightened more on her arm.

"It's not my fucking blood!" His voice cracked in desperation as he turned the corner with her, pulling her down a darkened, trash littered alley.

Fear gripped her hard and fast as she saw the chance of her escape quickly slipping through her fingers. She saw a slight chance return as she was able to close her fingers around a broken broom handle, her knuckles white.

"He can't kill me, he can't fucking kill me. This isn't allowed." He nearly blubbered as he stopped to shove at an old steel door, hidden in a brick wall. It groaned in protest and he kicked it with a sob. "Open! Fucking open!"

Kaoru flinched back from him slightly, felt relief wash through her as she moved back from him quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself as she hid the piece of wood behind her. She turned to run as he gave another wild kick to the door and her pupils shrank quickly in fear.

A long wild tangle of red hair blew softly in the slight breeze, cold gold eyes peering at her from under fiery bangs. The whimper of fear behind her and the sudden smell of urine did nothing to break her blue gaze from the man in front of her.

"Can't…you can't kill me." The man sobbed and Kaoru's gaze landed on a sword as it slowly lifted from the pavement, pointing at her throat.

The glint of steel had her posture changing, had her gripping the broom stick with both hands and bringing it in front of her.

"P-please don't kill me." The man behind her sunk down into a sobbing heap, laying in piss and blood against the locked door.

The cold gold eyes flicked to the man and Kaoru's heart stuttered in her chest as she saw an opening.

The fear of death, the need to protect life, had her muscles coiling, had her breath catching in her throat as a rush of adrenaline sent her leaping forward.

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A/N: I haven't done a real cliffhanger in a long time! I makes me feel evil. Powerful and evil! R&R please! Will give me even more of a reason to write!

…Nuclotei


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Whew! I'm finally getting another chapter out! Sorry about the delay but I DID mention that it's busy season at work, so I wasn't going to have as much time to write. I think I might actually have a good direction for this story to go in now. So expect great things! Enjoy. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I just screw them up to entertain fans.

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Which Way Is Up?

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Chapter Three

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She stared at the white tiled floor, in the white room that had a blue flowered boarder to add some cheer to the otherwise sterile and dreaded place.

Her whole body was aching, her head was throbbing and her palms stung from where she had caught herself on the rough pavement.

"_Is this some sort of joke?" The muscles in her arms sang as a black lacquered scabbard shot up, blocking the broom stick from connecting with its red-headed owner. His cold golden gaze shifted from the sobbing man to Kaoru's eyes and irritation briefly flickered over his handsome face. _

"Ms. Kamiya?" Kaoru jumped and looked up into the soft, slightly round face of a nurse. "Are you alright dear?" Kaoru managed a smile and nodded; she hadn't heard the door open.

"The police and here to speak to you, do you think you're well enough to answer a few of their questions?" Kaoru's smile faded, her face, dirt covered and already pale, paled more at the thought.

"Ah, y-yes."

"I'll be right back then." She gave the back of Kaoru's hand a friendly and reassuring pat then moved from the hospital room, closing the door behind her.

Kaoru looked down at her scratched and dirty hands.

_She twisted her body, throwing her weight to the side as she moved the broom stick quickly, adrenaline pumping into her system. Her heart beat pounded in her ears as she aimed a blow to his side, hoping to crack a rib or two. To slow him down if anything. _

_Wood smacked against wood as the scabbard forced the broom stick upwards. Her arms flew above her head as she stumbled back, struggling to keep herself from falling._

_His movement was effortless. It was thoughtless._

_He was strong…_

_The whimpering man saw his chance to escape in the distraction she had caused and scrambled to his feet._

_Kaoru looked back at the man as she steadied herself, felt relief in the fact that one of them would get away and turned back to the man she was sure was the Battousai. She opened her mouth and a rush of air exited her lungs as her eyes locked on with his. His gold eyes seemed to bore into her very soul and her knees shook even as she lunged with a cry of desperation._

_A flash of silver light glinted in the corner of her eye and she looked to the side as the blade of his katana brushed through strands of her hair. A choked cry caught in her throat as the blade flew silently towards the man. She stared in horror as the blade sunk effortlessly into his chest, slamming him back into the metal door behind him with a dull thud._

_His body jerked, legs kicking as he sobbed and yanked at the blade, trying to unpin himself from the door. Kaoru watched, wide eyes blurring with tears as his attempts sliced his hands open as blood and pieces of flesh fell to the ground. _

_She felt her head swim as disbelief filled her._

Kaoru's mind cleared of the memories as the door to the hospital room swung open silently and two men moved inside. One was a short older man with salt and pepper hair, wearing a blue suit jacket with a crooked matching tie, and the other a tall man in all black, his dark hair slicked back. His eyes squinted as he smiled at her.

"Ms. Kamiya?" She expected the tall man to speak, and looked back at the short man in surprise. "I'm Detective Irai, and this is Detective Saito." He motioned to the tall man and Kaoru looked back at him then her eyes dropped to his side where a sword hung on his belt. Her stomach rolled and she offered a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you, please call me Kaoru." The Detectives stood for lack of chairs, Saito leaning against the far wall as he watched her with the same smile still on his face. She wondered briefly what his real face looked like.

"Kaoru." Detective Irai's voice was smooth and calming, it reminded her of her fathers. She shifted on the paper covered bed and looked back at Irai and was sorry that she was going to have to lie to him. "Could you tell us what happened when you found Mr. Kinjo?"

"Kinjo?" Kaoru blinked away the image of wide staring eyes, of blood trailing from his mouth open in a silent scream to the sword protruding from his chest and gave a vague smile.

"I heard a man screaming, ran down the alley and found him."

"Alone?" Saito spoke and she looked at him and nodded.

"Alone. Laying against a metal door."

"Are you sure?" Saito's smile never faded and her skin crawled slightly as she nodded again, this time emphatically.

"_If you tell anyone you saw me. I'll kill every last person you love in this world, and then kill everyone you spoke to."_

"I'm sure." Her stomach clenched at the remembered promise from the Battousai.

"We're going to put a protective detail on you tonight, just as a caution Kaoru. Is that okay with you?" She looked back to Detective Irai and smiled politely once again. She wouldn't argue.

"If you think that's best."

"I do. We'll have you taken home. You get some rest tonight then come down to the station tomorrow and fill out a report of what exactly you saw. Will you need a note to be excused from school tomorrow?" Saito moved to the door, pulled it open as Irai spoke.

"Ah, that would be wonderful." She remembered Dr. Takani's cold stare and felt grateful he had even offered.

"Rest well." Kaoru watched him move out, close the door behind him.

"She's lying." Saito muttered under his breath and Irai clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"You always assume the worst of people. What reason would she have to lie?" They walked around the corner and Saito stepped into the open elevator.

"Who knows. Maybe she has a crush."

"That's a disturbing thought." The elevator door closed on Iriai's frown and on Saito's fierce grin.

~xXx~

The click of the lock had her jumping, even as her fingers turned the key. The door swung open with a familiar creek and her blowing out a shaky breath as she stepped over the threshold. Would he be waiting for her? Surely he wouldn't let her live after she saw his face, heard his voice and saw exactly what he did to that man.

Kaoru shuddered.

"Hello?" She called out into the large dark house.

Silence met her.

"Of course there's no one here." She said aloud and laughed softly to herself. "And if they were, it's not like they'd answer." She dropped her purse on the small table beside the door and flipped on the light. Gold eyes as cold as steel watched her from across the room.

"And if they were to answer, would you rather them say "Hello" in return or something like…"I'm here."" She jerked as she looked to where he sat on her couch. He was stretched out in all black, his fiery red hair loose and wild around his shoulders and she screamed as his sword impaled her chest, pinning her against the front door.

Kaoru jerked awake, sweat beading her brow as her blue eyes stared at the dark ceiling above her. She waited until her heart stopped pounding and took a deep calming breath. Sitting up she gazed around her room to the moonlight streaming through her window where a shadow of an officer standing guard gave her little comfort.

If a man like the Battousai wanted to kill her she highly doubted a few armed guards could stop him. The thought made her shudder so she pushed it from her mind and swung her legs over the edge of the bed looking a the clock.

"Four in the morning…" She grumbled and pulled her hair from it's braid; she'd only been asleep for three hours. It was too early to start her morning routine, too late to try and go back to sleep. Brushing her fingers through her wavy hair she stood and walked across the cool wooden floor out to the kitchen. She glanced back to the front door then smiled a bit.

The least she could be was hospitable.

Kaoru moved to the door and opened it. A large, slightly burly man looked down at her with beady black eyes his face full of black wiry hairs that poked out awkwardly in the form of a messy beard.

"Ms. Kamiya." His voice was rough, like he had smoked a few dozen packs of cigarettes before speaking.

"It's Kaoru." She smiled sweetly as he thinned his lip with a grunt. Her smiled didn't falter as she leaned over to peer at his silver name tag. "Officer…Zan, how do you like your coffee?" His brows disappeared into his messy fringe and his taken aback expression was enough to make her smile turn into a pleased grin.

"Black." He grunted and she moved inside, closing the door softly behind her and made her way to the back door. When she swung it open she was met with surprised hazel eyes, slightly hidden behind brown bangs. He wasn't even old enough to grow peach fuzz it seemed.

"M-ms. Kamiya." His voice cracked and she gave him an easy going smile as he cleared his throat.

"You can call me Kaoru." His eyes seemed to bulge a bit at the informality. "Would you like coffee?" He blinked once, twice then cleared his throat again, making his voice a bit gruffer.

"Black." He grunted and she was instantly reminded of officer Zan as she stepped around the young man and headed towards the bedroom window. She glanced at his name tag and 'Tamaki' shined back at her.

She rounded the corner and was met by officer Yazaki whom she had talked to earlier that night, as he escorted her home. He was older, soft around the middle with a full head of silver hair and a matching full mustache across his upper lip.

"Kaoru, up early." His smile was warm, his voice reminded her of a loving grandfather.

"I am a bit, how do you like your coffee?" She stopped near him, smiled and suppressed a sudden yawn.

"Light and sweet." He patted her shoulder with a large soft hand, comforting. "You should get some more rest, you had a long evening." His concern warmed her and she briefly entertained the thought of snuggling back into her warm bed then shook her head.

"Once I'm awake, that's it." She said cheerfully and patted his arm before moving back inside.

She moved slowly around the kitchen, setting every plate just right, making every cup of coffee as perfectly as she could get it. By the time she was done, the first birds of morning started to chirp and mist had settled on the ground outside.

"Breakfast time!" She called as she looked over her table full of eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and toast. Pride swelled her as she thought the setting looked very similar to one of her mother's creations.

Officer Yazaki moved inside first while Tamaki followed him, eyes darting nervously.

"I-I don't think we're s-supposed to leave our posts." He whispered and was settled by a soft relaxed chuckle from the older man in front of him.

"Never refuse a beautiful woman's cooking. It's a life lesson you should learn." Yazaki sat and Tamaki swallowed hard before nodding as he sat.

"Y-yes sir. I'll remember that sir."

Kaoru looked towards the door as it creaked softly, the large body of officer Zan lumbering inside.

"Hungry?" She smiled and he simply grunted in response moving to the table. As the three settled, her heart warmed.

It almost felt like a full house again, thanks to the three strangers.

~xXx~

The sounds of shrilly ringing phones, of a cursing man tugging at the hand cuffs holding him to a bench and of the people in the building speaking loudly to one another reached her ears first followed by the smell of old coffee and Lysol. She stepped in through the door of the police station, her stomach in knots. No one in uniform paused in their daily routines to so much as offer her a glance, and the thug on the bench licked his lips and gave her a proposition that had her skin crawling.

"No thanks." She muttered as she skirted the dark wooden bench and headed towards the nearest person that looked the least engrossed with his work. "Ah, excuse me?" She leaned down a bit to get the attention of the man at the desk who looked at her with disdain. "Sorry to bother you. But, could you point me in the direction of Detective Irai's office?"

"Does this look like homicide to you? Do I look like a fucking secretary to you sweetheart? Here I sit working, and then you come along an interrupt me and expect me to draw you a fucking map?" Kaoru opened her mouth then stood straight, taken aback.

"Uh…"

"Aw, don't listen to him darlin', he's just pissy because he hasn't seen his wife in two days. We're kind of swamped here. There's an elevator down the hall on the right, take it to the second floor, last office on the left." Kaoru looked around to see who spoke, saw no one looking in her direction and thanked the person loudly before rushing off.

"What a zoo."

Shaking her head she stepped off of the elevator and onto the second floor.

Peering down the hall she was pleased that the smell of old coffee, and the noise of chaos had been left behind on the floor below. Moving down the hall slowly, she nodded politely to a man in a suit passing by then knocked lightly on the frosted glass of the office door that read "Detective Irai, Homicide".

"Come in." Kaoru moved inside and held back an unhappy noise seeing Detective Saito sitting behind the desk.

"Good morning." Kaoru gave a polite smile, watched Saito's squinty eyes and struggled to push down feelings of anxiety. Something was just off about the man.

"You're here awful early. It's just barely seven." He stood, pointed to a chair then moved to a filing cabinet and pulled out a paper.

"I'm an early riser."

"Nightmares?" She didn't like the way he watched her and thought it better to lie, shaking her head no. "I'm amazed, most people who stumbled across a dead body tend to have negative effects on their mentality."

"Maybe it just hasn't set in yet." Kaoru's voice tightened as she sat and took the crisp white sheet of paper from him.

"Maybe so. Fill out that sheet to the best of your abilities." He sat and picks up a cigarette lighting it up then took a long drag, watching her through his thin black bangs.

Kaoru leaned and grabbed a pen from off of the desk and set the paper down, writing.

"Just make sure your stories match, hm?" He blew out a thick cloud of smoke towards her and she looked up at him through her bangs slowly.

"Oh Kaoru, you're here early. If I knew you were coming this early I would have gotten an extra cup of coffee." Detective Irai moved into the room, a folder under one arm and two cups of coffee in each hand. Kaoru sat straight and gave him a winning smile. Inside, her heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest.

Saito knew she was lying.

"I don't drink it very often, thank you though." Irai sat in the chair next to hers, passed a steaming cup of coffee to Saito and then leaned back, getting comfortable.

"Did you sleep well? " She nodded in response then continued to write on the paper. "The officers I posted said you were a pleasure to watch over."

Kaoru felt her heart warm and smiled slightly.

"I felt very safe with them."

"Is there a reason you feel unsafe otherwise?" Saito leaned forward in his chair, took the coffee from Irai and sipped it, watching her with his silted eyes.

"Saito, leave the poor girl alone. She didn't kill that man." Irai chuckled then gave Kaoru's back a firm pat. "Don't mind him, he's not a morning person."

She sat straight as she signed her name and the date to the bottom of the paper and set the pen down.

"If that's all you need from me…?" Saito picked up the paper, glanced over it.

"I think that should be all, but we have your number in case we need to contact you." Irai stood with her, shook her hand. "Thank you for your cooperation Kaoru."

"It was really no problem." She gave him one last smile, glanced barely at Saito and moved from the room.

Saito watched her go, taking another long drag. "We should keep watch on her. I'm telling you, she knows something else. She isn't just some woman who stumbled across a corpse."

Irai frowned as he watched her go.

"I'll consider it."

~xXx~

Kaoru looked down at the small sheet of white paper in her hand as she walked back to the dojo. They hadn't forgotten to give her the excuse for school, the man at the front desk thrusting it at her as she walked past. She had a free ticket out of Dr. Takani's class for the day and she imagined with pleasure handing the note over to the sneering woman and seeing her face deflate with the news that she couldn't kick Kaoru from her class.

She stopped at a cross walk, tucked the paper away and looked forward across the street. Gold eyes looked back.

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A/N: Not the most exciting chapter, but the story must be built up! More to come soon!

…Nuclotei


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So this chapter seems a bit odd to me…not sure why maybe it's just because I'm a bit tired and have been working at it for a while. But hey, it's here and hopefully good! One thing I did change that I need to go and change in earlier chapters is I said the class is "Intro to Forensic Chemistry" I don't know jack about chemistry so I switched it to Forensic Science instead. That cool with you guys? Comments wanted!

**JUST TO CLARIFY: **Everyone I think is a bit confused on Kenshin's hair color since I haven't mentioned it but once. His hair color is black! ^^ Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I only screw them up to entertain fans.

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'..'Thoughts

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Which Way Is Up?

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Chapter Four

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She held her breath as the man with sandy blonde hair and golden brown eyes moved past her, talking to the a small woman at his side and she closed her eyes slowly as she let the breath out. Her heart felt strained in her chest. Kaoru opened her eyes again then jerked back quickly.

"Ack!" The smile, a quick flash of charming, came from the man in front of her and she felt her heart stutter for another reason as his warm purple eyes seemed to smile at her all on their own.

"Good morning. Headed to the wrong direction for class today, aren't you Kamiya Kaoru?" His smooth voice sent a blush creeping up the back of her neck.

"M-Mr. Himura. Ah, school? Right." She shifted then remembered the white piece of paper in her hand before holding it up. " I am going to miss a few classes this morning…" She couldn't begin to think of a reason to give him as he raised a hand, slipping the paper from between her fingers.

He unfolded it and glanced down at it over his glasses.

"Do you want me to hand this in to Dr. Takani?" He looked back at her and she felt guilt clench her stomach. Here the man had stuck his neck out for her, and she was going to play hooky without a good reason.

"No, that's okay. I'll be attending her class." She reached up to take the note from him then froze for a moment as his eyes locked with hers. His expression was momentarily unreadable.

"Ms. Kamiya? Are you alright?" Kaoru blinked rapidly a few times and took the note back, stuffing it into her pocket.

"I am, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day already." She watched a slight frown tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" She opened her mouth wordlessly as she fought a vicious inner battle for a moment, and fought to keep from blushing.

"That would be…that is…I mean." What should she say?

He watched her for a moment then smiled and turned, offering his hand to hers as he stepped down off of the curb. She moved automatically, slipping her hand into his and was surprised to feel that his hand wasn't soft and smooth, it had a few rough spots; calluses, she noted, then pushed the thoughts away as as soon as her hand had been in his she had taken the step down and suddenly the contact was gone.

The tips of her fingers seemed to tingle as she walked with him across the street and down the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes.

What should she say?

"Do you live alone?" He asked conversationally and Kaoru glanced at him then nodded.

"I do. I live in my parent's house."

"And where are your parents?"

"Ah, they're dead." She felt her heart squeeze in her chest, ignored it then looked at him as he looked at her silently for a moment before looking forward again.

She had expected him to say that he was sorry, like everyone else she had told, he never did.

"What about you?" Kenshin looked at her again, took in the shadows under her eyes, the unnatural paleness to her skin and smiled at her.

"What about me?" They turned the corner together and she shrugged a shoulder slightly.

"Do you live alone?" The question felt dirty as soon as it left her lips. This was her teacher she was speaking to for god sakes.

"I do."

"Not married?" It slipped out before she could stop herself and her cheeks pinked as she focused on staring straight ahead.

He looked at her with a momentarily startled expression then a slight grin lit his face. "No, not married."

"Oh." What else could she say? "I see?" "Good?" "Awesome then we can date!" ?

She stopped at the gates to the house and turned, looking up at him slightly. "Thank you for walking me." She smiled at him, he smiled back.

"Thank you for allowing me to walk you. I'll see you this afternoon in class?" She nodded, and looked his face over. He was so damned handsome. "I hope you have a better day Ms. Kamiya."

"You too Mr. Himura." She watched him turn, watched him walk away and blew out a breath.

"Whoa boy." She whispered before turning and moving into the gates.

~XxX~

"You saw him?" The strain of concern in Misao's voice was echoed by the sudden loss of color in her face.

"Shh!" Kaoru hissed, waving a hand and looked around the school café quickly. No one looked up from their own private conversations.

Kaoru swore internally. She had never should have accepted Misao's sudden lunch invitation today. She should have known she couldn't keep secrets from her younger cousin.

"I can't believe this! Kaoru, you actually," Misao leaned closer, and whispered "saw the Hitokiri Battousai?" Kaoru nodded slowly and Misao seemed to pale more. "Are you sure it was him?"

Kaoru thought back to the cold gold eyes, the crimson red of the mans hair that matched the blood on his sword and nodded barely.

"I'm sure."

"Oh my god." Misao breathed out as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh god. Kaoru…did he see you?"

Kaoru felt her heart clench in her chest, this is where she had to make a big decision. It only took a seconds thought as she remember his whispered words.

"No. And I only saw him for a moment, I talked to the police, told them what I saw and went home." Guilt twisted her gut, but she knew it was for the better.

"And that man that was killed? Did you see his body?"

"I did." Kaoru thought back as she stood in the public bathroom where she had run off to to call the cops and where she scrubbed at the bloody handprint on her arm from where the man had grabbed her.

Kinjo.

"That's so horrible." Kaoru blinked away the mental images and nodded before picking up her onigiri and bit down even as her stomach lurched in protest. "Do you want to stay with me, Mom and Dad for a few days?"

Kaoru looked at the younger girl, thought of her aunt and uncle and nearly caved in.

"No. I don't want to disrupt my routine any more than it already is, you know? I'm fine. It's fine. I talked to the police, they're confident about my safety. Everything's okay. I just want to get things back to normal."

Misao looked like she wanted to argue for a moment then nodded.

"Okay. I understand." Kaoru smiled, because she knew the younger girl did.

"Now, why did you want to meet for lunch today? It's not like you to skip school." Misao's face lit up suddenly.

"Oh, oh yeah. I have something to tell you! Remember Aoshi?" Kaoru blinked, vaguely remembering a tall black haired man with blue eyes that Misao had met at the public library one day, then nodded. "We're dating!"

"Dating? But…isn't he like a third year in college?"

"He is! He is so…handsome, and smart! And he's the strong, silent type. Oh Kaoru, I think I'm in love."

"Did you tell your parents?"

"Oh, um. No."

Kaoru shook her head a bit, couldn't hold back the amused smile. If anything Misao was an excellent judge of character. She was happy for her.

" Don't worry. My lips are sealed."

"Oh good, because I totally told them I was spending the night with you tonight when I'm going to go and spend it with him." Misao grinned.

"H-hey!" Kaoru protested and the younger girl laughed.

~XxX~

"Forensic Science is the backbone of the justice system. We're the meat and the potatoes people. Without us, cold cases, complicated cases, hell, cases in general would be left either unsolved or lacking good strong evidence to back up locking a criminal away. It is important that you decide which field you want to concentrate on by the end of this course when I have shown you all of the options available." Dr. Takani leaned against the front of her desk and watched the class. Today her hair was swept back and she wore shoes with heels so spiked Kaoru briefly wondered if she could kill a person by kicking them, or if she ever had.

"I'll be teaching the chapters on Anthropology, and Psychiatry." A few students let out laughs behind coughs and Kaoru bowed her head to hide a smile.

Too bad psychiatrists couldn't fix themselves.

Dr. Takani leveled the class with a look that promised retribution before continuing. "And Mr. Himura will teach Pathology and Psychology." She looked towards a male student in the front of the room as he raised a hand. "I haven't even said anything complicated yet."

"You have a PhD right? So why is it Mr. Himura can teach this stuff without one?" Dr. Takani smiled a shark like smile.

"My Kenshin has his doctorate, he just chooses not be called "Dr." he feels it's too stuffy a title."

Kenshin smiled from where he stood, leaning against the white board.

"Anymore idiotic questions?" She looked around the room before standing straight and walking down between the desks.

"Now I'm going to try something different this year. Normally we'd have two large cumulative exams at the end of each semester, in which has failed at least half of my class in previous years. So, in order to even out the grading scale, we'll have one exam, and one large project." She turned at the end of the room then walked slowly back up to the front of the class as the students started whispering silently to themselves.

"You have one week to decide who you'd like to pick to be the subject of your project. I want you to pick a criminal in history and give a heavily in depth researched speech and ten page paper profiling them and their murder. This will require going to the police station and working with the records keepers, talking to witness' and generally not slacking off. I'll e-mail you a list of who you can chose from. This project will be a major part of your grade. I shit you not, so don't cross me since I'm taking it so easy on you lot."

Kaoru watched her move back to the front of the room and looked down at her notebook, her heart beating a bit harder in her chest. She already knew who she wanted to pick.

"I'm tired of talking for today, so I'll let you out early. But don't let it get to your heads!" Takani called out as the students all rushed to pack up their things and moved to the door.

Kaoru slipped her notebook into her bag and stood slowly.

"You're looking a bit better." She looked up as Kenshin walked over and smiled at him.

"I'm feeling better. I worked some things out, and got to talk to a good friend of mind who kind of put me at ease."

He smiled. "That's good." She nodded and moved the strap of her bag onto her shoulder.

"Thanks again for walking me home. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." He shifted closer to her, dropped his voice a bit and offered her another warm smile. "I'll have to do it again sometime."

Kaoru felt her face heat up as he turned and moved back to the front of the classroom.

"Oh man." She whispered then moved from the room.

~XxX~

Kaoru leaned with her elbow on the desk, her chin in her left hand as she navigated the mouse with her right, opening the e-mail Dr. Takani had sent the students. The top read "FIRST COME FIRST SERVE." In big, bold, black lettering. Kaoru briefly wondered if anyone else was going to steal her idea.

"Crazy. This is crazy." She shook her head and scrolled through the list, curiously then opened a reply message.

**Dr Takani, **

**I have chosen the subject of my project already. It's a bit controversial, and a bit crazy I suppose but I feel like I could do this project well and would be able to be very versatile in my research if I am allowed to pick this subject. **_**Hitokiri Battousai**_**. **

**Sincerely, **

**Kamiya**

Kaoru held her breath as she sent the message and leaned back in her chair. "What the hell are you doing?" She whispered to herself then closed her e-mail before bringing up a browser window. She stared at the screen for a moment before clicking letters slowly on the keyboard. "Kinjo." Her voiced cracked as she said his name and her mind shied away from the image of his limp body, eyes staring off at nothing.

She hit the enter button and glanced at a news article, the same one she had witnessed being taped, written down and documented, the one she had managed not to be in by some small grace of god.

Scrolling down she frowned and clicked on another document. "Kinjo Ken." She glanced over it then frowned again. "He was part of a Yakuza." Shifting she leaned back in her chair and squeezed her eyes closed, remembering his face and trying to remember his clothes when she gasped and sat up straight, opening her eyes.

"He said it wasn't his blood! There's another victim somewhere." She leapt from her seat and grabbed her purse, running to the door and slipped on her shoes quickly then moved out.

~XxX~

He watched the blood drip down the white-wash wall. The sweet metallic smell stirred his loins and the taste burned his tongue as he licked the edge of his crimson covered blade.

It wasn't enough, not nearly enough to paint the room red much less the world. He stepped over the naked corpse of the raven haired woman, laying spread on the tiled white floor. Her hazel eyes stared blankly at his black pant clad legs. The wide, smooth edged cut from her throat down to her stomach marred her porcelain skin. The blood oozed slowly over the edges , spilling down onto the floor.

He moved out of the room as he slid his katana back into it's scabbard, tucking it away into his trench coat and moved down the hallway, gold eyes narrowed in irritated thought.

"She saw us." He spoke softly as he walked out of the front door to the small clinic. "We must dispose of the witness." He whispered as he stepped out into the moonlit night.

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A/N: What do you think? Hm…who knows what's going on? I sure as hell don't. XD It's a bit short, but at least it's a chapter!

…Nuclotei


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I guess the shitty thing about writing several stories at a time, you get stuck on one and move to work on another and never come back to the ones you were stuck on. Or, you work on them for a really long time, then forget to write your ideas down and move on to another story and forget all of your ideas from before. For shame Nuclotei...I will try and do better!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I only screw them up to entertain fans.

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Which Way Is Up?

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Chapter Five

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She stood on the sidewalk as thunder rumbled in the distance, a quick flash of lightning causing her to blink rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the softly glowing screen of her phone.

Dr. Takani had been quick to respond.

**Kamiya Kaoru,**

**Have you lost your mind? I mean seriously, are you mentally deficient? Of course I'm not going to let you run around looking for a SERIAL KILLER in the middle of the night whom the police haven't caught! Pick someone else you idiotic girl, and consider yourself lucky that I don't call someone to take you to the mental hospital.**

**-Takani **

Kaoru blew out a breath, huffing as she read then re-read the scathing e-mail from the sharp tongued teacher. Shifting she snapped her cell phone closed and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans as she moved down the familiar sidewalk.

The irritation that had been so plain in the woman's e-mail was almost annoying enough to distract her from the fact that she was getting closer to the alley where Kinjo had been killed.

Almost.

_She felt her stomach twist as bile rushed up to her throat as Kinjo's legs bucked a few times as he gurgled and choked on his own blood, the life draining from his eyes. She fought against unconsciousness as her mind rejected the scene, as black spots danced in her vision, tempting her to just let her world go dark. _

_Her hearing had seemed to have stopped working as she watched the red-headed murder stride over to the man, the sound of the dull buzz in her head wiping out even the sound of metal screeching against metal as he wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword and yanked it away from the door and the body. _

_She coughed hard as she doubled over, putting her hands on her knees and struggled not to vomit, her hearing seeming to come back specifically so she could hear the sickening sound of Kinjo's body slapping down against the concrete, the skin on his forehead peeling away at the sudden contact. _

_Sucking in a breath she grabbed the broom handle she hadn't realized she had dropped as the man flung the blood from his sword, ignoring her. _

_Her hands shook, her body, even her very soul seemed to be quivering as she held the broom handle like her kendo stick she practiced with. _

"_Y-you." She managed to choke out. His shoulders straightened in response and he turned his head, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, the gold gaze sharp and cold. _

Kaoru took a deep breath to steady herself as she walked to the entrance of the alley she had been the night before. Police tape covered the scene and Kaoru's mind shied away from what she thought was blood still covering the doorway.

A quick flash of lightning had her jumping then had relief flooding her, plainly showing her that all the evidence had been cleaned and taken away.

Her shoes moved too loudly across the asphalt to her own ears as she stepped into the alley, the rumbling sounds of thunder matching the turmoil in her chest.

_He slowly turned his body towards her, black trench coat swaying in the breeze, a spray of blood covering one side of his face from removing the sword. _

"_Me?" His voice was soft, cold, and more frightening than anything she had ever heard before in her life, and she didn't have an answer to his question. _

_Without a sound she lunged, she wasn't going to die without a fight._

_The feeling of the broom stick connecting with his scabbard vibrated through her muscles as she used her body weight to make the impact stronger. _

_The sound of wood cracking then snapping had her stumbling forward, closer than she'd ever want to be to the killer then in the next instant she was falling back hard, barely able to put her hands down to catch herself against the gravely pavement._

_He watched her, arm outstretched still from the shove and moved over to her, crouching so his face was in hers._

_"If you tell anyone you saw me. I'll kill every last person you love in this world, and then kill everyone you spoke to." _

Kaoru looked around the alley as his voice seemed to echo in her head and she shuddered, pulling out her cell phone and pressing her finger against the button that could dial for help in an instant.

The fear of the memory, the fear of actually finding something almost caused her to turn and run for home, but instead she steeled herself and moved out of the alley and down the sidewalk to the one where she had first seen Kinjo.

The smell hit her first, caused her stomach to roll as she clamped her hand over her nose and moved into the alley, her other hand tightening on her cell phone.

She slowly lowered her hand, slipped a small flash light from her pocket and flicked it on.

The thunder rumbled again, closer now as she searched the alleyway slowly and carefully so she wouldn't contaminate the crime scene.

Turning a slow circle her flash light shined over a white surface, covered partially by the black plastic of a trash bag. Forcing her hand not to shake she moved slowly over to the pile of bags then looked away quickly, flipping open her cell phone and snapped a few pictures.

The corpses eyes were still open, white and cloudy looking, the skin of the man's face as white as a piece of paper and his neck, partially covered was split wide. Red blood had turned black and crusty on the shriveled skin of the wounds from baking in the sun and the man's mouth was opened wide in a horrified look.

She choked back a noise of disgust and horror as she snapped a few more pictures, glancing at the corpse long enough to notice rigor mortis was still partially set in, his fingers gripping his cell phone tightly.

Moving out of the alley quickly and put her hands on her knees once she reached the other side of the street, taking calming breaths then turned and moved into a crowded bar like she had planned.

She moved to the back, grabbed the pay phone and called the police.

…

The phone rang shrilly on the nightstand next to his head and he opened his eyes quickly, scanning the room once out of habit then sat up, grabbing the phone.

"This better be damned good." He snapped into the receiver then paused and listened for a moment before hanging up.

He stood, pushing his hand through his dark hair to slick it back.

The bed creaked and he glanced back to the woman looking up at him sleepily.

"Tokio. I'm going out." He stated simply as he shrugged on a shirt and moved out.

…

Rain poured down heavily as thunder crashed loudly in the sky above. The flicking light from his lighter briefly lit his face and the soft glow of amber that followed it did little to calm Saito's irritation as he breathed the smoke in deeply then blew it out.

It was a corpse alright. But there were almost a dozen other homicide detectives, so why in the fuck did he get woken up at one in the morning to inspect someone that obviously wasn't going anywhere.

He shifted the umbrella, glanced down at the body, barely interested before moving to the bar.

If he was going to question someone, he mine as well get a drink as did.

Moving to the bar he nodded to the tender, a gruff looking man who was at least three times his size in weight alone.

"Give me a whiskey. And some information." He flashed his badge and the tender eyed it.

"We'll see." He sneered a bit, moving down the bar as Saito finished off his cigarette before lighting another. He was half way done with it then whiskey in a dirty glass slid down the bar to him. Throwing it back quickly he stood straight.

"The was a murder across the street. A girl called it in from this bar. I need to know if anyone saw this woman."

"Don't know, don't really give a fuck either. Cops aren't really welcome here, so run along cupcake."

He briefly debated putting his cigarette out in the man's eye but thought better of it after realizing it would just mean more paper work and moved into the crowd of people.

…

As he stepped out into the rain he flicked his cigarette away, moved to his car and slid in.

The description he had gotten matched a person of interest in the murder from the night before, and he was very interested in finding out what the little girl had been doing, snooping around in alley's in the middle of the night.

Pulling up to the station he slid out, moved up to his office and paused as the door across from his opened and Irai stepped out, coffee and a file in his hand.

"I heard you got a call. Didn't think you'd actually go and check it out." Irai teased and Saito gave him a blank stare the other man dismissed easily. "I found my own body. A female vic, age 24, goes by the name of Hino Hikari. She was located in a medical clinic about ten miles down the road from where we found Kinjo. She was sliced down the middle by a long sharp object. Blood spray was wide and from the look on her face, she had seen it coming. She was stark naked. The M.E. is going to take a look at her to see if she had been sexually assaulted and put her time of death around midnight. No ties that I can find yet to Kinjo or the others but I'll be putting my money on the Battousai."

"The Battousai has yet to kill a woman." Saito watched him.

"Serial killers often times stray from their M.O. Maybe Battousai got bored of cutting up men, turned to women for some fun before slicing them up." Irai shrugged a bit. "Whatever the case he did a number on her. It was definitely the work of the Hitokiri Battousai."

Saito looked down at the file in his hand, inspected the pictures and the notes on Hino and silently disagreed.

…

The rain beat down harshly on his head, plastering his flaming red bangs to his forehead as he held his sword out, letting the water wash away the crimson stains of his latest kill. The man that lay at his feet looked peaceful, almost serene with the exception that his head was laying a few feet from his body,

He shifted his cloak, pulled out a dry clothe and wiped the blade of his sword quickly, then tucked it safely back into hits scabbard as he reflected on the chase.

_The man ran blindly, hands out in front of him as the rain stung his wide, scared eyes. His breathing sounded like that of a trapped beast, wild and harsh and he whimpered in fear as he tripped, nearly fell._

_Gold eyes watched him from the roof top as the man ran into a dead end alley. _

_They always ran._

_They could never outrun him._

_They always begged and pleaded._

_It fell on deaf ears._

_They always died, sobbing, whimpering, like the cowards that they were. Honor-less, sniveling little cowards. _

_His thoughts turned briefly to the raven haired girl, her stunning blue eyes both afraid and defiant as she challenged him head on with a flimsy piece of wood. _

_He shook his head hard at the thought._

_How absurd. _

_The man slammed hard into a chain link fence, grabbed onto it and shook it like it would just fall over at his desperate attempt. _

_He waited for a moment, calculated then leapt off of the roof. _

_The wind and rain beat against his face as he dropped to the ground, sword shining in the quick flash of lightning, a bright silver then a deep red as it cut through the man's skin, muscle, bone, like it was made of butter. _

_He was one of the lucky ones. _

_He never even saw it coming._

He lifted his head as blue flashing lights came into view at the end of the alley way. Moving easily he scaled the fence and disappeared into the darkness.

Goto Yamato would not be seeing the light of the morning.

…

Kaoru moved into her house quickly, slamming the door behind her and ran to the bathroom, collapsing painfully on her knees. Slamming the toilet seat up she quickly emptied the contents of her stomach with a sob.

She had to be insane. No one in their right mind would go looking for a corpse, or for a serial killer just to get a grade.

She retched again at the thought of Kinjo, the thought of the unknown corpse at the end of the alley, and at the thought that she could do nothing to save either of them.

Her energy spent, she managed to drag herself from the bathroom floor after some time had passed. Managed to plug her phone into her computer and download the pictures off of it, taking great care not to look at any of them, and to put them in a hidden locked folder.

She barely managed to pull off her soaking wet clothes, to pull back the covers and drop into bed.

As she fell asleep, dreams of a redheaded demon engulfed in flames plagued her.

* * *

A/N: Whew, there you have it. I hope it was okay for everyone! There will be more to come soon! No more waiting a year between updates! Let me know what you think!

…Nuclotei


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